How hard could it really be for corrections to partner with the workforce development community? Very. But speakers at this morning's workshop say it was worth the effort. Gwynne Cunningham is Director of Specialized Programs in Virginia Department of Correctional Education, a stand-alone state agency not housed in either the education or corrections departments. Marietta Salyer is with the Virginia Employment Commission. They're part of a team of people from all over the corrections, human services, criminal justice and CBO communities in the state that joined together in 2003 to create the state’s Offender Workforce Development Partnership.
Based on what I've seen at this conference so far, their partnership is unique. It's a comprehensive effort to make sure offenders get as much as they can while in prison that will prepare them for re-entry into the community, with an emphasis on employment. Although there are a host of issues they deal with, they are currently focusing on three key barriers to employment for former felons:
- Professional licensing (as for barbers, cosmetologists, realtors, etc.)
- Drivers license revocations
- Employer perceptions.
Cunningham says the first two years of the partnership involved everyone at the table learning what everyone else was doing. How do you get people together who don't realize they’re all working on the same thing? Salyer spent a lot of time explaining the Workforce Investment Act to others at the table. Everyone wanted to improve outcomes for ex-offenders, and each partner had one piece of the puzzle. They made sure they had everyone from line staff to administrators to ex-offenders on the team. They also did research to map out exactly where offenders were re-entering the community. Lots of people on the team were surprised: They live in my neighborhood?
After her experience on this committee, Salyer believes Corrections should be a mandated partner on workforce boards. She sends staff from the Petersburg Career One-Stop once a week into the local prison to provide employment services to offenders. Both she and Cunningham work on bringing employers into the prisons for activities like job fairs and mock job interviews. Nearly everyone they talk to about going into the prison from employers to One-Stop staff initially is resistant about going into the facility. But once they meet the inmates and realize they’re much like everyone else in the world, perceptions change.
Salyer talks about a need for both "outreach" and "inreach" to serve offenders. Cunningham says that corrections staff are discouraged from leaving the facility, which keeps them from making these kinds of partnerships. She encouraged us to contact corrections staff and invite them to our meetings. Those of us on the workforce development side may have to take the first step.
Their partnership has produced a lengthy booklet that lists every professional license issued by the state, from wastewater treatment to the Alcohol Control Board, and how offenders might be barred from getting that license. They found all sorts of outdated and sometimes silly rules. The booklet provides info on what an ex-offender can do to get licensed – or re-licensed.
One member of the audience talked about a "mini-one-stop" they've set up inside their local jail. Another told about the local ex-offender support coalition that includes human services and workforce members, spearheaded by the city mayor. All of which means these partnerships are possible at different levels, and they do exist, if you know where to look.